Mumbai: Many social media accounts from Pakistan were involved in a concerted AI-based disinformation campaign to create unrest during the CJP protests in the country, according to the Maharashtra cyber cell. It has got 429 such accounts and posts blocked and removed.No FIR has yet been registered.Additional DGP (state-cyber) Yashasvi Yadav said at least 100 accounts and posts were found to have originated overseas, particularly Pakistan, some West Asian countries and Malaysia, and they actively amplified fake narratives in an attempt to instigate Indian audiences.The cyber cell’s probe showed that many Pakistan- and Malaysia-based social media accounts sought to trigger a situation similar to the socio-political crises in Nepal in 2025, Bangladesh in 2024 and Sri Lanka in 2022. It found that AI was used to clone the voice of former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, digitally inflate crowd visuals, and manipulate videos to falsely attribute them to public figures.Yadav said the 429 posts and handles were identified across multiple platforms, including Instagram, X, Facebook and YouTube. “Acting swiftly, the Maharashtra cyber cell immediately initiated legal action against the accounts, including taking down the objectionable content through the social media intermediaries,” he said. SP (state-cyber) Ajay Kumar Bansal said over 140 of the posts and profiles involved AI-generated/assisted content.Another cyber police officer said strict legal action will be taken against individuals and organised networks involved in spreading misinformation, deepfakes and other unlawful content through digital platforms. “All citizens are urged to exercise caution while consuming and sharing information relating to sensitive public events. Citizens are advised to pause, verify and share responsibly. Before forwarding any message, image or video on social media, they should verify its authenticity through official govt sources and credible news organisations. Responsible use of social media is essential to prevent the spread of misinformation and to preserve public peace and harmony.”
